1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to sump pump containers or sump liners which are sub-floor reservoirs for the reception of ground water which seeps into basements or other subterranean rooms. Generally the water is channeled to the sump reservoir and then pumped therefrom by a sump pump via a discharge conduit to an exterior location.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Sump pump containers or sump liners are designed for use in water control systems of the types disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,314,313, 5,501,044, and 5,927,955 for example.
In such systems, the sump pump container is a reservoir for the reception of the water seepage which is channeled thereto, and the conventional sump pump(s) contained therewithin include a water-level actuated lever arm switch which energizes the pump to discharge the water from the container whenever the water level reaches a predetermined height, as sensed by a float attached to the lever arm.
The size of the sump pump(s) incorporated within the sump liner container will vary depending upon the volume-discharge requirements of different installations and/or whether a battery-operated secondary pump is included to assure evacuation in the event of a power failure. If the sump pumps are too close to each other on the inner floor of the container their lever arms and floats can engage each other, the other pump, or the wall of the container and become inoperative. In such cases the container fills and overflows into the basement and/or rejects additional water before the occupant becomes aware that a problem exists, unless the system is provided with a water level-sensing alarm as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,313.
In the case of conventional sump containers for holding two or more sump pumps, generally at least one AC-powered pump and a battery-operated pump, the diameter of the floor of the container may be too small to receive two pumps, side-by-side, without interference with each other and/or with the wall of the container.
It is known to incorporate a sump pump stand in a sump basket to elevate the pump above the floor of the basket to prevent mud and debris from entering the pump, and reference is made to Pacquesi U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,930 for its disclosure of such a pump stand. The pump stand of the reference is integral, has a platform with a sloped upper wall or floor provided with circumferential openings, a central opening, supports for supporting the sump pump on the sloped platform floor, and legs for supporting the stand on the floor of the container basket.
My U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,924 relates to novel pump stands for a conventional circular-cross-sectional sump pump container for overcoming or avoiding the aforementioned problems, and for adapting the circular sump container to receive and support two or more large capacity AC sump pumps at different elevations or at the same elevation above the floor of the container where the diameter of the circular frustroconical container is sufficiently greater than the diameter of the circular floor of the container to accommodate the two pumps, side-by-side, sufficiently-spaced from each other and from the wall of the container to prevent interference.
The pump stand of U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,924 is an integral unit comprising a level, somewhat-circular platform having at least four spaced peripheral legs and at least two closely-spaced central legs, and a partition line on the platform for bisecting the pump stand into two similar half-stands, each having at least two peripheral legs and at least one central leg, which half-stands are stackable upon one another to support a sump pump at a greater elevation within a sump container, if desired.
While the pump stands of my U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,924 enable the use of two or more sump pumps at different heights within a conventional frustroconical container or reservoir, in which the inner diameter is greater as the distance above the circular floor increases, the need to use larger discharge-capacity pumps in many installations necessitates the use of larger diameter sump containers or reservoirs which requires a more extensive excavation of the concrete basement floor and sump pit and additional expense. A conventional regular frustroconical sump container has a top diameter of about 18″ and a bottom or floor diameter of about 14″. A conventional large frustroconical sump container has a top diameter of from about 24″ to 26″ and a floor diameter of from about 20″ to 22″. It is possible to use such a conventional, larger-diameter frustroconical sump container having a sufficient floor diameter, such as about 20-22 inches, to accommodate two sump pumps and/or pump stands on the floor without interference with each other or with the wall of the container. However, such a large-diameter container requires a huge excavation of the sump pit, generally in a concrete basement floor, with resultant labor, expense and loss of floor space. There is a need for a sump container having a smaller width and volume than conventional large frustroconical containers but having interior dimensions which accommodate two or more sump pumps of the required discharge capacity without interference with each other and/or with the interior walls of the container.